Seasonal evolution of granular and columnar sea ice pore microstructure and pore network connectivity

Abstract Sea-ice pore microstructure constrains ice transport properties, affecting fluid flow relevant to oil-in-ice and biogeochemical processes. Motivated by a lack of microstructural data, in particular for granular across the seasonal cycle, throat size, tortuosity, connectivity, other variables were derived from X-ray computed tomography brine-filled pores landfast off northern Alaska. Data obtained columnar during growth, transition, melt season. While exhibits more heterogeneous space than ice, size distributions are comparable. The greater tortuosity (1.2 < τ g 1.7) compared (1.0 c 1.1) compounded with less interconnected translates into lower permeability growth season given porosity. data explain findings hindering vertical transition stage. With frequent changing Arctic, studies such as this needed inform improved modeling porosity-permeability relationships.